Shangqing Wozhong Jue (Shangqing Secret of Holding the Essence), is included in the Yujue Lei (Jade Commentaries Category) of the Dongzhen Bu (True Grotto Section) of the Daozang (Taoist Canon), with no original author attributed.
The Siku Que Shu Mu (Catalog of Missing Books from the Four Treasuries) of the Southern Song Dynasty, Tongzhi · Yiwen Lue (Comprehensive Records of Arts and Literature), and Song Shi · Yiwen Zhi (History of the Song Dynasty · Bibliographic Treatise) all record that Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty authored Shangqing Wozhong Jue in three scrolls.
Furthermore, Shangqing Zhongjing Zhu Zhengsheng Mi (Secret Collections of All True Sages from Shangqing Scriptures) lists Wozhong Jue among the Shangqing School’s scriptures, confirming that this text should be a Taoist work of the Six Dynasties period.
The book extracts cultivation techniques from Shangqing School Taoist texts, mainly including: inhaling the vital energy of the sun, moon, and stars; restraining the soul and ethereal soul; treading on shadows and following the mysterious Dao; focusing thoughts to contemplate deities; traveling to the heavenly realms; preserving the mysterious cinnabar and black-white essence; circulating vital energy and swallowing saliva; and using talismans and incantations to ward off evil, among others.
The entire text is divided into more than thirty sections, with interlinear annotations explaining parts of the main content.
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